In a startling revelation Friday, the White House disclosed that North Korean soldiers deployed alongside Russian forces in Ukraine are taking their own lives rather than face capture by Ukrainian forces.
According to White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby, these suicides appear driven by fears that their families in North Korea would face severe repercussions if they were captured.
The U.S. and its allies estimate that North Korea has deployed approximately 11,000 troops to support Russian operations in Ukraine, particularly in the Kursk region. Neither Moscow nor Pyongyang has officially acknowledged this military cooperation.
Reports indicate devastating casualties among North Korean forces. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that around 3,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed or wounded in the Kursk region alone. U.S. officials report over 1,000 North Korean casualties in just the past week.
The North Korean troops are reportedly being used in "human wave" tactics - mass infantry assaults against Ukrainian positions. Kirby described these soldiers as "highly indoctrinated," continuing attacks even when clearly futile. Russian and North Korean commanders appear to view these troops as "expendable," sending them into "hopeless assaults" against Ukrainian defenses with minimal protection.
Zelenskyy noted that captured North Korean soldiers who were seriously wounded could not be saved, suggesting some may have been killed by their own forces to prevent capture. The exact number of troops who have taken their own lives remains unclear.
The deployment represents a deepening military partnership between Moscow and Pyongyang, as Russia seeks to bolster its forces in Ukraine while facing mounting casualties, estimated at over 1,500 Russian troops killed or wounded daily according to British defense officials.